In a way, Haseo and the Third Hokage had somewhat similar fighting styles—they were both ninjas who could randomly roll their face over the keyboard and still unleash techniques. The difference was simply that Haseo executed them more efficiently, while the Third Hokage covered a far broader scope.
Moreover, the Third mastered all chakra natures, his chakra affinity was off the charts, and his learning ability was the greatest in history… This meant if he truly decided to study [Impure World Reincarnation], there was absolutely no reason why he couldn't learn it. Furthermore, he would likely master and perfect it far faster than Orochimaru ever could.
Compared to the "Professor of Ninjutsu," Orochimaru was nothing more than a junior snake sorcerer.
There was no room for doubt—Third Hokage had definitely mastered [Impure World Reincarnation]. If that was the case, then all prerequisites necessary for the "Nine-Tails Partition Plan" had already been fulfilled.
After wrapping up his talk with the Third Hokage, Haseo returned to the Kagenami base and relayed the outcome to Uzumaki Shikou. Following this, Shikou would coordinate everything on behalf of the Uzumaki clan.
At present, even among the Uzumaki shinobi stationed at Kagenami, the only person who fully understood the plan was Uzumaki Shikou herself; the rest remained entirely in the dark.
The upcoming actions didn't require their participation—the Uzumaki shinobi of Kagenami represented the future and follow-up steps of the Nine-Tails Plan, not its current stage.
Even Shikou herself wouldn't be taking direct part in the operation. At this crucial moment, her task was simply to lead a team of sealing specialists to refine the Four Symbols Seal according to Haseo's instructions.
Besides having its essential functions, the real challenge in designing the new seal was creating something rock-solid under normal circumstances, yet instantly accessible when needed—in other words, a seal that remained tight but could be opened and resealed at will.
Sealing something shut wasn't difficult; breaking through a sealed barrier also had its ways. But managing repeated cycles—opening and resealing again and again—was tough. Even with the Four Symbols Seal as a powerful foundation and the most expert Uzumaki shinobi leading the research, such improvements were extremely challenging.
Haseo casually checked the Uzumaki shinobi's progress, grabbed a few blueprints on a whim, and nodded thoughtfully, giving the impression he was quite satisfied with their work. After briefly inspecting them, as if unwilling to disturb the frontline workers' progress, Haseo quickly left the area.
"What should I do? Although Lord Haseo acted like he actually understood something, the blueprints he picked up had absolutely nothing to do with what we're working on—it was just some random doodle I made by accident. Shouldn't I probably explain things to Lord Haseo?" one Uzumaki ninja said helplessly after Haseo had left.
"...Ask nothing. Say nothing. We know absolutely nothing." Another shinobi gave the standard response.
So yeah, Haseo didn't know squat about sealing techniques.
For those ignorant leaders who insisted on acting like experts while inspecting subordinates' work, a considerate underling needed only to greet them with calm eyes and a mildly gentle smile—no words necessary.
After all, who would ever guess that it was just pity usually reserved for fools?
Fortunately, none of the Uzumaki shinobi were cruel enough to call Haseo a fool. They were simply protecting the dignity of the Master of Kagenami… nothing more than that.
Returning to his office, Haseo sat down, pushed aside the clutter piled messily on his desk, then pulled out the long sword behind him and placed it flat on the table.
His fingertips glided along the blade's icy edge... Haseo looked like he was about to attempt something.
He fell silent in thought. Soon after, his hands resumed motion—first sealing, then channeling intense Lightning Release chakra through his fingertips as he began engraving something onto the blade itself... it resembled some sort of technique pattern.
But as previously stated, Haseo actually knew nothing about sealing techniques.
So what exactly was he doing anyway? Just printing fancy designs?
Black Cat jumped down from the nearby bookshelf and landed softly on the desk. It sat still, tilting its head curiously at what Haseo was doing.
Just like how Haseo couldn't understand the work of the Uzumaki ninja, this cat too had no idea what Haseo was doing. Yet it still watched intently, its tail swishing continuously behind—it was brimming with curiosity.
"What are you staring at? You think you can understand this?"
"In a different genre of world, I might've already slaughtered you—using your blood to awaken the blade, sealing your soul within as a vessel spirit, and then I'd be flying through the heavens wielding the sword like a master cultivator."
While threatening his pet, Haseo lifted the blade to inspect the engravings he'd made. Confirming there were no mistakes, he watched as the chakra markings faded away… it was merely an invisible but tangible kind of mark, not literally scratching the solid metal surface.
Black Cat let out a few soft meows but, unusually, didn't turn away immediately. Perhaps it had finally realized that under normal circumstances, Haseo wouldn't really go so far as to kill it and boil it into soup.
Even cats had started to get wiser.
Realizing his intimidation had no effect on the feline, Haseo shook his head, then sheathed the sword again.
Next, he stood up, retrieved Samehada, which had been sitting forgotten in a corner collecting dust, and slung it across his back.
Considering Samehada's ability to absorb chakra, Haseo decided to bring it along as his weapon for the Nine-Tails Plan… Samehada was Haseo's scalpel—a precise tool for a delicate, low-profile procedure on the Nine-Tails.
As a chakra-based creature, Samehada the shark had relatively low intelligence compared to typical summoned beasts. Thus, even if it participated in secret operations, there was little concern about it leaking sensitive information... But still, as a precaution, he would need to apply some Sealing Techniques on it later.
Moreover, the idea that Samehada can detect and betray a user's strength hinges on it being unclaimed. Now that it's with Haseo, would it ever consider switching allegiance again?
Previously, Samehada had been studied by Orochimaru for quite some time. Nobody knows what terrifying things Orochimaru did to this monstrous creature. When Haseo reclaimed it, the weapon clearly showed signs of liking him—no surprise, really. Anything to avoid going back to Orochimaru—Samehada would naturally choose Haseo.
Life under Orochimaru must have been overwhelming, even for an innocent creature like Samehada—who had always lived among Tailed Beasts.
After securing Samehada, Haseo reached into his robe and retrieved a personal decree from the Third Hokage. After carefully confirming its authenticity, he carefully tucked it away again.
Next, he still needed to visit one more place—
Konoha Anbu.
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